Business Advice Feature Articles

by Linda Christie

"Virus War Marches On" for Agency magazine
    (published by WORLDSPAN for their member travel agencies)

"Online Retailing with a Web Site" for Flowers and Profits magazine
 (sponsored by TeleFlora for their member florists)

(Note: these are unedited drafts submitted to The McManus Group)

Virus War Marches On—What you can do to protect your agency.

The Love Bug epidemic infected nearly 3 million computers and caused an estimated $7 billion in damage, crippling some corporate and government computer networks for as long as six days. NASA suffered over 1,000 lost or damaged files, some of which cannot be restored. And the Department of Labor spent over 3,000 hours restoring systems to normal.

            One of the biggest risks to agencies is the prevalent attitude by many owners that “it can’t happen to me.” The truth is viruses that can destroy your data and cripple your computer systems are spread every day in e-mail messages, by floppy disks, on CD-ROMs, and by Internet downloads. Attempts to recover data, remove a virus, or replace damaged equipment can take innumerable hours of work and days or weeks to complete, resulting in a complete loss of productivity.

Public embarrassment, downtime, destruction of agency image, and stolen, altered, or destroyed information can have a significant impact on your agency’s well-being and customer relationships. Confidential passwords and credit card numbers, if harvested by hackers, can expose your agency and customers to significant financial losses.

How to fight back.

·        Educate end users: Most experts emphasize the importance of educating end users: heightening the awareness of your employees to the sensitivity and value of agency databases as well as the need to be on guard for virus attacks that can even arrive from a trusted friend through e-mail. In the _____ issue of Agent, you’ll find a thorough discussion of how your employees can form the first line of defense for your agency by using safe computer practices and detecting a viral attack as quickly as possible. Make sure all of your employees read this article and, if possible, discuss it in a staff meeting.

·        Use Antivirus Software: Antivirus (AV) software also can play a key role in protecting your agency. However, simply installing AV software isn’t enough. Users must be instructed in its use and, with hundreds of new viruses being released each month, AV software must be updated frequently to keep abreast of the newest forms. Periodically inspect each workstation to make sure that the latest version AV software is installed and working properly. (See Sidebar Selecting AV Software.)

·        Establish and enforce written policies and procedures: Develop and write policies and procedures that will protect your equipment and data. The consequences of breaking these practices should be spelled out in advance so there’s no doubt about your resolve. (For a list of preventative measures, see article in the _____ issue of Agent.)

·        Know what to do when you think you’re infected. Learn how to identify the differences between false alarms and real viruses. Establish standard procedures for containing the infection as well as cleaning viruses from your workstations, network, diskettes, and backup media. (See also Sidebar Responding to a Virus Alert.)

Today, agencies cannot afford to be lax about computer viruses. If they are, they take a serious risk of losing valuable data, as well as incurring costly downtime and computer services. By taking these precautions, you will not only protect yourself but also guard against passing infected files, documents, and e-mail messages to your suppliers and customers.

SIDEBAR

Selecting AV Software

Antivirus (AV) software is designed to detect and remove or cure computer viruses. Viruses can be detected in two ways: by a full, on-demand scan of your hard drive, floppy disks, CD-ROM, etc.; or by a real-time, on-the-fly scan of Internet downloads, e-mail messages, memory, etc. Most scans look for virus signature codes (like fingerprints) that identify a program or file as being infected. Because new viruses are being released daily, it’s vital that your AV software virus database be updated weekly or monthly to incorporate these new signatures – especially following a virulent attack such as the Love Bug outbreak.

When evaluating AV software packages, compare the following factors:

Detection Rate: Make sure the AV software is resident (active) at all times and can detect 100 percent of the viruses in the Wild List (those in common circulation). The International Computer Security Association (www.icsa.net) has established a certification process that provides a consistent and accurate means for this comparison. (If your agency uses a network, the software should also notify the network administrator when a virus is detected.)

Performance: The software should present a Windows interface that is intuitive and easy to use, otherwise users will bypass AV messages by pressing OK or Cancel. Make sure the software is fast and stable. The software also should not interrupt and scare users with a lot of false alarms. Avoid Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) programs that occupy large amounts of computer memory (RAM) and degrade computer performance.

Updates: Make sure the AV software company provides timely updates that can be downloaded over the Internet, preferably by notifying the user when an update is available. (If your agency uses a network, seek software that can be installed on each workstation remotely by the network administrator.)

Compressed/Encrypted Files: Make sure it can detect viruses hidden in compressed and encrypted files such as ZIP, ARG, and Microsoft Compressed.

Boot Disk: Make sure the AV software provides for the creation of a boot disk you can use to recover should the virus make your computer inoperable.

SIDEBAR

Responding to a Virus Alert

When you receive a virus alert from your AV software, do not panic. It may be a false alarm. And, thoughtless actions may create bitter consequences. Most viruses can be removed simply by using your AV software to kill them.

Your response should be designed to slow the spread without adversely impacting productivity any more than necessary; to identify and remove all copies without damaging machines or files; to retain a sample of the infected file for later analysis; to identify how the virus slipped past your protection system and procedures; and to notify all suppliers and customers who might have received an infected file or e-mail message from you.

Refer to the documentation provided by your AV software in addition to taking the following steps:

1. To prevent the spread, make a general virus alert announcement to all staff members saying, “Virus Alert: No diskette is to leave the premises. Do not send e-mail messages or files to anyone.”

2. Stop using the infected workstation(s).

3. If the infected workstation is connected to a network, disconnect it to prevent  spread to the server and other workstations. Reconnect only after all the servers and workstations have been cured.

4. Determine if the virus is real. It probably is real if your scanner reports it as a common virus, if your scanner finds it in COMMAND.COM, if it finds two or more instances of the virus on the same PC, or if a second AV scanner detects the same virus.

5. Look up the description and characteristics of the virus in your AV software’s virus encyclopedia. What types of files does it infect? How does it spread? Does it carry a destructive payload? How can it best be removed without destroying data? (Note: If you use a computer service, contact it immediately for advice on how to contain the virus and decontaminate your system. Many antiviruses irreversibly damage files instead of curing them, so care must be taken to preserve your data.)

6. Disinfect your workstations and servers using your AV software. Delete all infected files and e-mail messages from your Trash or Recycle Bin.

7. Track the spread. Determine if you have infected your customers, vendors, laptops, home computers, floppy disks, backup tapes, or CD-ROMs. Keep in mind that the virus may have resided on your system for a period of time prior to it being detected by your AV software.

8. Notify anyone who you might have infected and forward the information you have about the virus to them.

9. Create new policies or reinforce existing ones to prevent the infection from occurring again. Take disciplinary action, as needed

SIDEBAR

What’s a Computer Virus?

Computer viruses (worms, parasitic, Trojan horses, etc.) are programs that have the unique ability to replicate like biological viruses. Being programs, viruses can make changes to files, destroy everything on a system, mail out confidential data, or open online systems up to outside hackers.

Viruses attach themselves to almost any type of file – letter, e-mail, spreadsheet, PowerPoint presentation, executable program, etc. When infected files are opened or used, the virus migrates by floppy disk, over local area networks (LANs), and the Internet to fellow employees, clients, and vendors. As a result, viruses spread quickly, like the recent “Love Bug” epidemic, and can be difficult to eradicate. (Note: The newer VBS/Bubbleboy and Kak viruses can execute via a previewed or downloaded e-mail message without having to open an attachment.)

Some viruses contain a damage routine or payload ranging from displaying messages or images to destroying files, and even reformatting your hard drive. Even if they do not contain a damaging payload, they may consume valuable disk storage resources and downgrade the overall performance of your computer. Trojan horses can even allow hackers to remotely operate your computer: to corrupt your files and steal passwords, logins, and credit card information.

Some viruses activate immediately, while others may wait for certain conditions to be met such as a date or action by the user.

SIDEBAR

Antivirus Software Packages  

Aladdin eSafe Protect Desktop (www.ealaddin.com)

F-Secure Anti-Virus 4.0x (www.fsecure.com)

Mcafee ViresScan (www.mcafee.com)

Norton Antivirus 2000 (www.symantec.com)

Panda Antivirus Platinum 6.0 (www.pandasoftware.com)

Trend PC-illin Antivirus (www.antivirus.com)

Flower & Profits Magazine

(Sponsored by TeleFlora for their member florists)

"Online Retailing with a Web Site"

To have a Web site or not to have a Web site?-- that is the question.

Today, online retailing is no longer a fad. By the end of 1998, nearly 9 million U.S. households had shopped online for travel services and retail goods other than automobiles, generating $7.8 billion in online sales. Low-cost, discretionary purchases of convenience items such as flowers were a favorite and are expected to exceed $32 billion by 2003. Because of the convenience and ease of shopping and purchasing online, many customers are demanding that retailers offer these services or they will seek other vendors. Unfortunately, though, many retailers rushed onto the Internet without having a well-thought-out plan, so the results fell short of their expectations.

To ensure that your site has the best chance for success, before launching such a massive project, take time to define the objectives you have for your site and take stock of your resources:  

·      What customers do you anticipate reaching with your Web site? Local? Regional? National? International?

·      What products and services do you want to promote on your Web site?

·      Do you want to provide online ordering capabilities?

·      What are your strengths/weaknesses for launching and maintaining a Web site? Your employees’?

·      What technical assets and resources do you already have?

·      What technical assets and resources do you need to acquire? What will they cost?

·      How will online sales impact your business? Workload? Inventory? Current promotions?

If, after answering these questions, you are convinced that a Web site is right for your shop, continue reading to learn how get started, how to use your expertise to service online customers, how to promote your site to complete strangers and the do’s and don’ts of Web site design. You will find additional tips in Good Questions on the back page of this issue.

Getting Started

Launching an online retailing effort through a Web site requires not only a sense of adventure, but a lot of work. How much work depends on the complexity of the site as well as whether you do the work, you hire a consultant and/or you erect your site on an established shopping mall.

As many of you may have read in last month’s Flowers & Profits, Susan Hahn with Crowley ’s MAD Florist in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex saved a lot of work, time and effort by paying a well-qualified consultant to design, set up and maintain her Web site. By using a consultant, Susan could concentrate on what she does best – selling flowers – and let the consultant take care of all the technical details. In contrast, because Ron Cronenwett with Ashton Florist in Ashton , Maryland had a computer background, he chose to save these costs by designing their Web site himself.

For those who would like to do it themselves, you have a couple of viable options: to put your site on an established shopping mall such as Yahoo and GeoCities, or to purchase software that will allow you to design your site on your own personal computer. Either way, you will be lead through a series of relatively easy-to-learn steps that will allow you to design your own Web site.

Do’s and Don’ts of Web Site Design

Only one-half of the 33.1 million net users who research, browse or comparison shop products have actually made a purchase online within the past year. Why? Because many sites make it too difficult. The primary thing you need to keep in mind is that even though the technology has changed, the purchasing process people are comfortable with is really the same as that you provide in your shop. People want convenience, security, customer service, variety and a competitive price.

So, before you begin working on your retail site design, visit a few online florist to see what you like and don’t like about their online stores. What do they do to make it easy for you to browse around their Web store? What roadblocks do they put in your way toward making a decision or purchasing a product? Here are a number of things for you to look for:

1.    Make your visitor comfortable. Online buyers are always in a rush and they love to click for more information. Finding information and making a purchase in your online store should be interactive, easy and fun. Not every visitor will arrive via your home page. So, on each page, provide your logo and a navigation bar that highlights your product categories. That way, visitors can skip around from product-to-product from any point. The most important buttons on your navigation bar should be those that let customers make a purchase or add items to their “shopping carts.” If possible provide a site map or search tool that will help surfers find their way around your site quickly.

2.    Make shopping in your Web store convenient. Provide all of the product, sales and policy information that your customer will need to make a buying decision. Make sure the ordering and payment process is fast and that all, final costs are clearly identified, including delivery and sales tax. In some areas of the country, you may wish to offer your visitors a choice of browsing in another language.

3.    Don’t forget to promote and sell your products and services. Use banners, signs, promotional discounts and coupons to draw the visitor’s attention to specific offerings. Spell out the features and benefits and draw comparisons to your competition, if appropriate. Be sure to ask for their order and provide complete purchase instructions.

4.    Keep your pages uncluttered and easy to read. The most important feature of a Web page is the organization. People should be able to comprehend the structure of the page at a glance. Use a few, easy-to-read type fonts. Keep ornamental backgrounds, distracting animations, flashing “signs” and hard-to-see color combinations to a minimum. Make sure your logo is on each and every page. Don’t make errors in fact or spelling mistakes.

5.    Use multimedia -- text, photographs, animation, graphics and sounds -- to communicate your message. The more senses your message can stimulate, the better you can communicate; for example, what better way to display your designs and products than with high-quality, four-color photographs. When you take pictures, though, make sure you have good lighting and that the background is plain, not cluttered. To get pictures of your products onto the Internet, you will need to digitize them either by taking them with a digital camera or by using a scanner attachment for your PC. Contact Teleflora at 1-800-xxxxxxx to order photographs (CD-ROMs?) for wire-service designs and products. ( RICH – IS THIS OK?) Some printing vendors can digitize your photographs for you and store them on a floppy disk. Remember that not all of your prospects and customers will have sound capabilities, so if you use sound such as music or a narrative, make sure these folks will still get essential information in print.

6.   Make downloading as quick as possible. Online buyers get bored really fast. Few people will remain at a site if it takes longer than 30 seconds for the information to download. To minimize this time, keep your page file size small (less than 70 kilobytes) and photo files small (less than 10 kilobytes) by using lower resolutions and compressed file formats such as JPEG and GIF. Some sites will offer thumbnail (small) pictures that the visitor can scan first. By selecting one of the thumbnails, the visitor can view a full-size version that takes longer to download. Because photos are so important for selling floral products, you may not be able to meet these specifications. If not, at least design your site so interesting text will appear first while the pictures are downloading. This will keep your visitor occupied while they are waiting.

7.    Provide something of significance for free. The Internet is a gold mine of free information. So build your site around rich, free content. (See sidebar.) A wide-variety of free information will not only make your site appear on search engines more frequently, but it will help promote your site through word-of-mouth recommendations.

8.    Provide a feeling of security. Due to media hype, many potential online shoppers are paranoid about purchasing online. Do whatever you can to alleviate their fears that you may not be “for real” – provide a street address, a company history, customer testimonials and complete contact information, for example. Spell out your privacy policy with regard to protecting their personal and credit-card information, such as not distributing their name to mailing lists. You may wish to consider registering your online store with Verisign or TRUSTe, respected Web organizations that monitor online security policies and practices.

9.    Provide an easy method for requesting personal customer service. Make it easy for prospects to send you an e-mail message or fax, or call your toll-free number. Since the Web is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, though, be sure to specify your store hours and time zone for receiving phone calls. Be sure to respond to e-mail messages as soon as possible. Online buyers are impatient.

10. Use realistic pricing. Surfers know that it costs less for you to sell online than in your store. So, many will expect pricing that reflects these savings. Keep this in mind as you construct your site.

11. Maximize the number of ways a customer can order and pay for your products and services. Many customers what to shop online, however, when it comes to placing an order they prefer to talk to a human being. So, provide as many ways as possible for visitors to place their order: direct online ordering, e-mail, fax, and toll-free phone. Keep in mind, though, that unless you take special precautions, online and e-mail ordering may not be secure. If you wish to provide secure online ordering, you can contract with a third party to handle credit-card purchases. (Note: If you host your Web site on your own computer, you will need a firewall and encryption process to secure your customers’ private information from hackers and employees.)

12. Update your site regularly. Each time visitors come to your site, “surprise” them with something new and different, just as you would change the displays in your shop windows. Update your site well in advance to promote seasonal offerings. Change the pictures, the text, banners, the free information and your promotions. This will keep your site fresh and interesting.

With a well-thought-out and maintained Web store, you can reach and service customers who might never have called or visited your shop. Selling your products and services over the Internet can open up new opportunities for growth as well as provide convenient shopping for existing customers.